The Fundamental Reason We All Should Write Poetry
Beyond the poems themselves, it's the process that's important.
I used to write poetry as a teenager and recently stumbled upon a fistful of my work in an old trunk full of souvenirs. I was floored by the subjects I considered when I was 15—not just considered but ruminated over. And I felt emotion of all kinds then, with such strength that I was moved to write.
And I wrote a lot.
Some made 47-year-old me cringe with their stilted and awkward language. Others stood the test of time reasonably well and would only have garnered minor notes from older me if I had been presented with them today.
But consistently, they were written by someone unencumbered by the trappings of everyday life, who was free to examine himself and the world around him in an ethereal, spiritual way. Someone who pondered concepts like the essence of consciousness, past lives, the continuation of the soul after death, and the divinity of nature. Someone deeply invested in self-exploration.
Based on the papers I poured over in my garage, I didn't appear to have found any real answers to the mysteries of life and the universe before I abruptly stopped writing. But the point is that I tried. For brief periods, I slipped the bounds of this terrestrial world and searched for truth, wisdom, and beauty — and did find some, particularly of the latter.
Why did I stop writing? I turned 17. I got my driver's license and was preoccupied with senior year, girls, and spending time with friends. I had finally succumbed to the inexorable pull of teenage things.
After that came college, the military, marriage, divorce, a new career, marriage again, and finally, children. The terrestrial world had subdued me, as it frequently does to most.
No more! I have resolved to start writing poetry again. I will create the time to isolate myself from the mundane concerns that monopolize my attention — work, bills, baseball coaching, and home projects. I will make a concerted effort to sit silently in a room, stare up at the stars from the spa and ponder, or walk alone in the woods. I will steal back some of my consciousness and write.
For me, the act of writing poetry is like a psychedelic drug. It severs the ties that hold me down to the prosaic, elevates me to a higher plane of consciousness, and opens my mind and soul to the universe. Then, I can seek truth and beauty, commune with nature, and explore my soul.
We should all be writing poetry with this purpose in mind. As humans, especially in the Western world, we are consumed by everyday life. Sit in silent contemplation devoid of external distractions and open a portal to the cosmos.
Don't worry in the least about the product. If you don't make a red cent, so what? Poetry isn't a clickbait top 10 list or a primer on boosting your stories. It's not about the craven pursuit of money, followers, or claps.
If a publication rejects you, self-publish. Or don’t publish at all. Just going through the process of contemplating and writing is worthwhile.
If you are afraid of how your poetry might be received, don't be. Poetry is an inherently personal thing, a time capsule that captures what you feel, perceive, and think about yourself or a particular subject in a snapshot of time. Who can rightly decide that a poem is "good" or "bad?" If it is written with skill in using imagery and other devices, that's fantastic. If it moves readers, that's sublime. But those things are not the fundamental reason we write poetry.
The process of reflection is.
Thanks for reading my story.
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